Page 28 of Drag Me Up

“Shit. Matt, I’m gonna have to call you back,” he says as he is attempting to calm the other person who is crying loudly in the background. “Or better yet, I’ll swing by.”

“I’ll text you when I’m back home. I’m at my mom’s for lunch. She showed me the news article.”

“Got it, yeah. That will work,” he says and I’m ready to hang up when he speaks again.

“Wait, how did you know this is dealing with Eric? Did he tell you about it?”

The crying on the other side of the phone stops and I hear a little voice ask, “Did someone hurt my Princess Eric? I’ll beat them up.” There’s what sounds like a kid impersonating a wolf followed by a giggle.

“The article named Mr. Mendleton as the victim, and I’m pretty damn sure it wasn’t talking about his piece of shit father.”

“Fuck,” Spencer whispers something to whoever he is with and then adds to me, “Hope you don’t mind company. We are going to need to have a house meeting, but I doubt Eric will want to come back home yet. Is an hour long enough to have lunch and get home?”

I hate the thought of cutting and running on my mom, but if I tell her it’s for Eric she will shove me out the door. Actually, that isn’t a bad idea. I don’t want to spring everyone on him in addition to the news. I tell Spencer that unless he hears differently from me, an hour is fine. I want to make sure that Eric has recoveredfrom his headache and I can prepare him for the news.

“Mom?” I call out as head to the kitchen for my keys. I grab them and kiss her on the cheek. “That was Spencer and we are going to meet up with Eric to see how we can help.”

She doesn’t say anything, but hands me a couple containers holding soup and sandwiches. Leaning down, I let her give me a kiss on my cheek.

“Go take care of our little boy, Mattie.”

22

ERIC

The feeling of lips brushing against my forehead doesn’t fit with the wonderful memory I’m reliving in my dream. Mattie took me for hot chocolate and he kept getting whipped cream all over his face to make me laugh. He went to so many lengths to make me smile when I was a kid.

“Sorry, kiddo. No whipped cream in the house but I do have a cupcake for you.”

My eyes shoot open in surprise and for a second I’m confused on where the fuck I am. The soft chuckle coming from my left lets the fear subside. Turning over, I lock eyes with Matt who is crouching next to the futon, petting my head softly.

“Hi,” I greet him with a shy smile. “I thought I dreamed you up.”

“You’re the one who has always been magic, my unicorn boy,” he tells me and my heart stutters.

HE KNOWS IT’S ME!

I launch myself off the futon and tackle him to the floor in a hug. Planting my lips on his, I fully intend to show him how much I have missed him, but he pushes me up so that I’m straddling him on the floor.

“I can work with this, but can I get some padding for my knees?” I ask with a saucy wiggle of my eyebrows. Mattie just chuckles in response, so I stand and help him to his feet.

“Just saying, I can work with whatever,” I tell him and get a smack to my ass for my trouble.

Oh, Daddy…

Wait a second. I don’t want a Daddy, do I? I’m not a little.

“Happy Birthday, Eric,” he says as he pulls me to his chest. “I’m so sorry I’ve missed so many of them.”

I don’t know if I want to feel happy or sad at that. I’d like to think that over the years, I became numb to not having anyone celebrate my birthday. It’s not like my parents ever cared when I was growing up. Hell, the only times I’ve ever had any type of celebration for me was from Ms. Sara and Matt and the rest of the staff when my parents were away on my birthday. If they were home, there would be a grown up party, but nothing forme.

“We have to have a kind of serious discussion, Cutie,” Matt says as he pulls back from our hug. “Serious talk now, sexy talk later.”

He knows me so well.

“The guys from the house want to come over for a meeting to discuss something that came up today. I have my tablet on the coffee table there. Read the article Ipulled up while I get our lunch together. We’ll talk about it after we eat and come up with a plan with the rest of the guys if that’s alright with you.”

Turning back to the coffee table, I pick up the tablet. Hitting the button to wake it up, I realize Matt doesn’t have any kind of security on it.

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